GeneAutry.com: Gene Autry: Champion, World's Wonder Horse Champion, World's Wonder Horse Champion appeared with Gene Autry as his partner and sidekick throughout their legendary career in film, radio, and television. Original Champion in Home on the Prairie, 1939 There were three "official" Champions that performed in Autry films and several specialized Champions, such as Little Champ, Lindy Champion, Touring Champion, and Champion Three. Other horses, for which we have no documentation at this time, served as doubles for movie stunts and personal appearances. The Original Champion was sorrel-colored, had a blaze down his face and white stockings on all his legs except the right front. His first onscreen credit was for 1935's Melody Trail. He died while Gene was in the service. Champion Jr., c. 1950 Gene's second screen horse was Champion Jr., a lighter sorrel with four stockings and a narrow blaze, who appeared in films until 1950. While onscreen with Republic, Champion Jr.

was billed as "Wonder Horse of the West," and at Columbia, he was known as "World's Wonder Horse." The third screen horse, Television Champion, costarred in Gene's last films and also appeared on television in The Gene Autry Show and The Adventures of Champion during the fifties. Also a light sorrel with four white stockings, he resembled Champion Jr. but had a thick blaze. In the late forties, Little Champ joined Gene's stable. A well-trained trick pony, this blaze-faced sorrel with four stockings appeared in three of Gene's films and made personal appearances. Rushing from a movie set in Hollywood to his annual appearance at Madison Square Garden for the World's Championship Rodeo in 1940, Lindy Champion made aviation history as the first horse to fly from California to New York. Gene used Lindy, a sorrel with four white stockings and an oval-topped blaze, for personal appearances. Touring Champion on parade, c. 1953 Touring Champion and Champion Three were also personal appearance horses.

A darker sorrel with four white stockings and a medium-wide blaze, Touring Champion appeared at rodeos and stage shows in the late forties and fifties and has his hoof prints next to Gene's handprints at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Champion Three appeared with Gene on the road from the late fifties until 1960, when the sorrel with four white stockings and a crooked blaze retired happily to Gene's Melody Ranch in Newhall, California, where he died in 1990. Touring Champion taking tea at London's Savoy Hotel, 1953 Collectively, the Champions performed the world's largest repertory of horse tricks, including dancing the hula and the Charleston, jumping through a ring of fire, and playing dead. Greeting crowds from Brownwood, Texas, to Dublin, Ireland, Touring Champion even enjoyed a proper high tea at the Savoy in London. Always popular, Champion received thousands of fan letters each month, proving that the World's Wonder Horse was an important element in the Singing Cowboy's success. Throughout their careers, Gene Autry and Champion were featured in dime novels, children's stories, and comic books.

Champion even received equal billing with Gene above the leading ladies on movie posters and lobby cards promoting Autry films. If you'd like to know more about Champion and horses in the movies, we recommend the book Hollywood Hoofbeats: Trails Blazed Across the Silver Screen by Petrine Day Mitchum with Audrey Pavia. For details, read here . You'll also find information on Champion and Gene's movies and television shows in the book Gene Autry Westerns by Boyd Magers. For details, read here . A variety of horses were known as Champion over the years. To learn more about each horse's role in Gene's career, click on the photos below. The Horses The Original Champion (From Old Corral image collection) Above and below, Gene with the original Champion. This was the horse Gene rode during his glory days from 1935 until he went into the service in 1942. The original Champion came off a ranch in the Ardmore, Oklahoma area, not far from where Gene grew up. He had only three stocking feet, a distinctively shaped head, and a large 'I'd know him anywhere' blaze down his face.

(From Old Corral image collection) (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above are Polly Rowles and Gene, on the original Champion, in a scene from SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES (Republic, 1937). You can see the missing sock on Champ's right front leg. (From Old Corral image collection) Gene strums his guitar and serenades pretty June Storey, while the original Champion looks on (probably thinking "c'mon Gene, let's hit the trail!".) Champion Jr. (From Old Corral image collection) Above is Champion Jr., the second of Gene's fulltime steeds. His distinctive, narrow, well-designed blaze makes him easy to identify. He was Gene's main mount in the years following his return to the movies after World War II. He first appeared in SIOUX CITY SUE (Republic, 1946). Leon Jackson resides in Coalgate, Oklahoma, and during September '99, we exchanged some e-mails about the origin of Champion Jr. The story goes that Gene Autry purchased a four year old named 'Boots' from a Charles Auten around 1946 for $2,500 or so.

Auten lived in Ada, Oklahoma, and he exhibited 'Boots' at various fairs and rodeos. He learned that Gene was looking for a new 'Champion' and that the cowboy film star was doing personal appearances including a rodeo in or near Fort Worth, Texas. The two met, struck a deal, and 'Boots' became 'Champion Jr.'. Leon was able to contact Charles Auten's nephew Melvin Auten, who confirmed that his uncle did sell 'Champion Jr.' to Autry, and one of Auten's ranches was the Echo Ranch in Ada, Oklahoma. Seems that Auten and Gene Autry also became good friends. In later years, Auten had a ranch in Sulphur, Oklahoma where he trained and sold horses - this included some Roman style riding horses for Montie Montana (who would spend time at the ranch), as well as one or more of the 'Silvers' used in the LONE RANGER TV show and THE LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER (1981) movie which starred Klinton Spillsbury.

(From Old Corral image collection) After returning from World War II service, Autry made a few pictures for Republic before he formed his own production company and moved over to Columbia Pictures. Above is Gene on Champion Jr. with sidekick Sterling Holloway in a lobby card from TWILIGHT ON THE RIO GRANDE (Republic, 1947). Champion Jr. was Gene's first post World War II steed. Note the narrow blaze with the 'arrowhead' tip. He was a Tennessee Walking Horse and pranced prettily down the trail as Gene sang a mighty fine song. TV Champion (Courtesy of Ed Phillips) Above is Gene and TV Champion. This was the last of Gene's three main horses and was used in the feature films of the 1950s and THE GENE AUTRY SHOW and THE ADVENTURES OF CHAMPION television programs. Touring Champion (Courtesy of Minard Coons) Above is Gene Autry putting one of his Champions through his paces, doing one of their rodeo tricks (possibly the 'End of the Trail' routine).

I had originally thought this was Lindy Champion, but decided to investigate further by doing a blowup of the face blaze (shown below) which seems to be off center and toward the left eye. If the various Champion identifications are correct at the the Gene Autry website, this horse is Touring Champion: (From Old Corral image collection) Above are Barbara Britton, Gene Autry and his Touring Champion in a scene from LOADED PISTOLS (Columbia, 1949). If you'd like to see another film with Touring Champion, look at GAUCHO SERENADE (Republic, 1940), and in particular, the scenes where Gene, Smiley Burnette, June Storey and Mary Lee camp near the lake. Gene and a few other hosses ... (From Old Corral image collection) Above, Tom Mix on the white Tony II chatting with Gene Autry riding ??? during their 1939 Christmas Parade appearance in Hollywood. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is Gene Autry atop one of the white hosses used by the Muranian Thunder Riders in THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (Mascot, 1935) serial.

Gene Autry Gene Autry Gene Autry is a real person who played the part of a cowboy called "Gene Autry". What I remember most about him is his beautiful horse, "Champion". Most TV cowboy's horses were really smart and helped them out of jams, but Champion could do almost anything! This horse was so talented that he got his own TV show called "The Adventures of Champion"! All About the Show The professional life of Gene Autry included music (he was a singer!), Western movies (he was a star!), and he was a big hit in his TV series, "The Gene Autry Show", which began in 1950 and ran through 1956. He fit the TV cowboy model of a handsome, well dressed cowboy whose only purpose was to ride from town to town upholding the law in the Southwest. And, like other TV cowboys, he had a way of doing that without ever getting dirty or seldom ever firing a shot! Remember I mentioned Gene's other talent - he could sing! In fact he sang so well that he was known as "the singing cowboy"! The show's theme song was "Back in the Saddle Again". I can still hear him singing that song.

Can't you? His sidekick "Pat" (played by Pat Buttram) always managed to get into some kind of silly predicament in each episode, Gene would find an opportunity to burst into song, and Champion (the Wonder Horse) wound up saving the day! Remember - this was one very talented horse! The Cowboy Code From 1940 to 1956, "Gene Autry's Melody Ranch" was a huge hit as a weekly show on CBS Radio. As you can see, it continued on the radio even while "The Gene Autry Show" was airing on TV. Gene knew that lots of young fans were listening to his radio show and watching his TV show so he created the "Cowboy Code" for these fans. Under his code, the Cowboy must: 1. Never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage. 2. Never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him. 3. Always tell the truth. 4. Be gentle with children, the elderly and animals. 5. Not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas. 6. Help people in distress. 7. Be a good worker. 8.

Keep himself clean in thought, speech, action and personal habits. 9. Respect women, parents and his nation's laws. 10. Be a patriot. Did you know there is a Gene Autry museum? More About the Actors ORVON EUGENE AUTRY (Gene to his fans) was born on Sept. 29, 1907 and died of lymphoma on Oct. 2, 1998, just 3 days after his 91st. birthday, at his home in Studio City, CA. Gene was born in Texas but grew up in Oklahoma, working on the family ranch. He left high school early and went to work as a telegrapher for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. While working there, Will Rogers heard him singing and playing the guitar and encouraged Gene to sing professionally. With that confidence he auditioned for RCA Victor around 1928 and spent several years recording music and singing on various radio shows. In 1932 he had his first hit song, "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine", which he sang as a duet with Jimmy Long.

He followed that up with "Back in the Saddle Again" and a lot of Christmas songs including "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "Frosty the Snowman" and his biggest hit ever, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Over his career, Gene Autry made 640 recordings and he wrote, or co-wrote 300 of those. His records sold more than 100 million copies and he has more than a dozen gold and platinum records, including the first record ever certified gold. In 1932 Gene Autry married the niece of Jimmy Long, Ina May Spivey, who died in 1980. In 1981 he married Jacqueline Ellam who had been his banker. He had no children by either marriage. He began his movie career in 1934 as part of a singing cowboy quarter, starring with Smiley Burnette in "In Old Santa Fe". As part of Republic Pictures, Gene made another 44 films by 1940, all B Westerns in which he starred (riding Champion!) with Smiley Burnette.

After returning from his WWII service, Gene chose Pat Buttram to work with him and they made 40 films and over 100 episodes of his TV show together. From 1936 to 1955 Gene Autry and Roy Rogers held either first or second place in the top 10 money-making Western stars polls. Gene Autry was a very smart businessman. As early as 1942 he had a string of rodeo stock so he became a partner in the World Championship Rodeo Company which furnished livestock for many of the country's major rodeos. In 1954 he acquired Montana's top bucking string, moved it to a 24,000 acre ranch in Colorado and continued to provide livestock for most of the major rodeos in Texas, Colorado, Montana, and Nebraska. For his work as a livestock contractor, Gene Autry was inducted into the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associations ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979. He bought real estate, beginning in 1953 when he purchased the 110 acre Monogram Movie Ranch near Newhall, CA. He renamed it Melody Ranch after his movie of the same name.

After promptly selling 98 of those acres, he kept the remaining 12 acres of Western town, adobes, ranch cabin sets, and some open land for location shooting. In 1962 a fire destroyed most of the original sets but, making lemonade from lemons, Gene used the devastated landscape for filming productions such as "Combat". He purchased the Los Angeles Angels baseball expansion team in 1961 and remained its sole owner until 1995 when he sold a one-quarter share to the Walt Disney Company, then a controlling interest in 1996 with the remaining share to be transferred after his death. The team honored Gene by retiring the number "26" (representing the 26th man on the 25 man roster), so strong was his support for his team. Some of the honors bestowed upon Gene Autry include induction into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK in 1972. He was also a life member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Burbank Lodge #1497.

His autobiography, "Back in the Saddle Again", was published in 1976 and CMT ranked him #38 in their "40 Greatest Men of Country Music" in 2003. In 2007 he became a charter member of the Gennett Records Walk of Fame in Richmond, IN. In 1978 Johnny Cash recorded a song called "Who is Gene Autry", and Gene autographed Johnny's famous black Martin D-35 guitar. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2003 and in 2004 the Starz Entertainment Corporation (working with the Gene Autry estate) restored all of his films which can now be seen regularly on Starz's Encore Western Channel on cable TV. MAXWELL EMMETT "PAT" BUTTRAM was born in Addison, AL on June 19, 1915, the youngest of 7 children. Trying to follow in the footsteps of his Methodist minister father, Pat began college studying for the ministry but soon realized that he enjoyed performing in college plays and on a local radio station much more, and became a regular on the "WLS National Barn Dance" in Chicago.

Pat married Dorothy McFadden in 1936 and they adopted a daughter named Gayle, but divorced in 1946. In 1952 he married actress Sheila Ryan and they were still married when she died in 1975. Their daughter Katherine (nicknamed Kerry) was born in 1954. He went to Hollywood in the 1940's and became a sidekick to Roy Rogers. But since Roy already had 2 regulars, Pat was dropped. Gene Autry picked him up soon after that and they starred together in more than 40 films and over 100 episodes of the Gene Autry TV show. Thru his career Pat Buttram starred in a few movies and was one of the writers for the "Hee Haw" TV show. He is probably most remembered as Mr. Haney in the "Green Acres" TV show. During the 1970's he did voices for several movie characters. He described his distinctive voice as " it never quite made it thru puberty". Others would say it sounded like a handful of gravel thrown in a Mix-Master.

Pat Buttram was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and also has a star on the "Alabama Stars of Fame" in Birmingham, AL. He died of kidney failure in Los Angeles, CA in 1994 and is buried in the cemetery at Maxwell Chapel United Methodist Church in Haleyville, AL. What is your favorite memory of Gene Autry? Please share your favorite memories of the Gene Autry Show. Gene Autry Memories Gene Autry - Biography - IMDb Gene Autry Biography Showing all 63 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (3) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (32) | Personal Quotes (11) | Salary (9) Overview (5) 5' 9" (1.75 m) Mini Bio (3) After high school Gene Autry worked as a laborer for the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad in Oklahoma. Next he was a telegrapher. In 1928 he began singing on a local radio station, and three years later he had his own show and was making his first recordings.

Three years after that he made his film debut in Ken Maynard 's In Old Santa Fe (1934) and starred in a 13-part serial the following year for Mascot Pictures, The Phantom Empire (1935). The next year he signed a contract with Republic Pictures and began making westerns. Autry--for better or worse--pretty much ushered in the era of the "singing cowboy" westerns of the 1930s and 1940s (in spite of the presence in his oaters of automobiles, radios and airplanes). These films often grossed ten times their average $50,000 production costs. During World War II he enlisted in the US Army and was assigned as a flight officer from 1942-46 with the Air Transport Command. After his military service he returned to making movies, this time with Columbia Pictures, and finally with his own company, Flying A Productions, which, during the 1950s, produced his TV series The Gene Autry Show (1950), The Adventures of Champion (1955), and Annie Oakley (1954). He wrote over 200 songs.

A savvy businessman, he retired from acting in the early 1960s and became a multi-millionaire from his investments in hotels, real estate, radio stations and the California Angels professional baseball team. Song: "Back in the Saddle Again", horse: Champion Trivia (32) His first hit record was "That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine" in 1932. Autry was the first owner of the Los Angeles Angels American League baseball club, subsequently renamed the California Angels when the team was relocated to Anaheim in 1966. (The team has been renamed twice: the Anaheim Angels, and now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.) A radio station owner, Autry was interested in acquiring the broadcasting rights to the Angels games when he found out the team, part of the American League's first expansion, was for sale. He bought it. Autry owned the team in its entirety from its first year of play, 1961, until 1997, when he sold part of the franchise to Disney, who renamed the team the Anaheim Angels. Autry's widow sold the rest of the team to Disney after his death the next year at the age of 91.

According to a Hollywood legend, published in The Orange County Register after his death, Autry was discovered singing in a telegraph office in Oklahoma by Will Rogers . Rogers told him that he had a pretty good voice, and suggested that he go to Hollywood where he could make some money singing in the movies. Gene followed Rogers' advice and became "The Singing Cowboy." Autry himself related this story in an interview with Cecil B. DeMille on the Lux Radio Drama Hour. In the interview, Gene added that the next time he saw Rogers was in Hollywood. According to Gene, Will just nodded and said, "I see you made it, kid." Interred at Forest Lawn (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California, USA, in the Sheltering Hills section, Grave #1048. Elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969. Grandson of an itinerant preacher, he became a multi-millionaire through his investments and real estate holdings. Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1980. Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1972.

He was the most popular of the "singing cowboys." In his heyday he was making six to eight feature westerns a year. More than 50 years after the last Gene Autry western, he is better known to later generations as a singer. His remastered vintage recordings of "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" remain very popular holiday standards into the 21st century. The California/Anaheim Angels franchise retired #26 in his honor. Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 19-22. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Owned Golden West Broadcasters, which owned and operated San Francisco AM radio station KSFO, Los Angeles television station KTLA channel 5, and Los Angeles AM radio station KMPC. During the war, he was awarded the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. During World War II, when he left Republic Pictures to join the U.S. Army, he was the only officer allowed to wear cowboy boots with his uniform.

In response to his millions of young fans who wanted to be like Gene Autry, he developed a code of conduct, "The Cowboy Code", which is as follows: 1. The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage. 2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him. 3. He must always tell the truth. 4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals. 5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas. 6. He must help people in distress. 7. He must be a good worker. 8. He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits. 9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation's laws. 10. The Cowboy is a patriot. In 1940, the National Association of Theater Owners voted him the fourth biggest box office attraction, behind Mickey Rooney , Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy . On January 1st, 1942, the small town of Berwyn (Carter County, Oklahoma) changed its name and became 'Gene Autry'.

In 1992 he was said to be worth $320 million. On 8 February 1960, he was awarded 5 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: for Motion Pictures at 6644 Hollywood Boulevard; Radio at 6520 Hollywood Boulevard; Recording at 6384 Hollywood Boulevard; Television at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard; and Live Performance at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. He is the only person with 5 stars on the Walk of Fame. Gene did a lot work with preserving artifacts of the "Old West", including many Indian relics, and had a museum containing many of these articles. Once tried to open a restaurant in Chicago. Local Mafia chieftains demanded a cut for their "permission" to start business. Autry refused to pay up. On the opening night gangsters appeared and told the staff to leave, and then destroyed the entire restaurant. Autry closed down and returned to the west coast. Of his 92 starring features, only The Strawberry Roan (1948) and The Big Sombrero (1949) were filmed and released in color.

Additionally, only the last season, 1955-56, of his long running TV series, "The Gene Autry Show"(1950) was filmed and broadcast in color. There was an alternate version of Gene's first starring film, "The Phantom Empire"(1935), a 12 chapter serial. Though the plot and end result were the same, Gene's character(himself) is missing towards the end of the film, with not even a reference to his earlier presence. The film continues with the other cast members. Gene was temporarily unavailable and the film was almost shelved, but Gene finally returned to complete the film. That alternate version was last aired, locally in in NYC, in the early 1950s, perhaps by mistake, on a local feature program, titled "Time For Avdventure"(TV). The shows' host, Rex Marshall,possibly unaware, made no mention of Gene's sudden absence from the film. There appear to be no reported sightings of that version since. He was a lifelong Republican and an avid supporter of Dwight D. Eisenhower , Richard Nixon , and Ronald Reagan . Was a Boy Scout.

The Ocotillo Lodge in Palm Springs was once owned by Gene Autry. It has been used for film location shoots. It features a Mid-Century Architectural Design. Business address: 4383 ColFax Ave. Studio City, CA 91604 Business address: 5828 W. Sunset Blvd, Hollwyood CA 90028 He was a first cousin, twice removed, of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid . Gene's maternal grandparents, Andrew Clinton Ozment and Margaret Malinda Pierce, were also Dennis and Randy's paternal great-great-grandparents. Inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1979 as a stock contractor. In 1952 he bought the Monogram Ranch which had been used in Western films since 1915 and went onto be used in the film High Noon and the television series Gunsmoke. Personal Quotes (11) [in a conversation with director Frank McDonald about his career] I'm not a good actor, a good rider or a particularly good singer, but they seem to like what I do, so I'll keep on doing it as long as they want.

[on the music industry] It occurs to me that music, with the possible exception of riding a bull, is the most uncertain way to make a living I know. In either case you can get bucked off, thrown, stepped on, trampled--if you get on at all. At best, it is a short and bumpy ride. In my day, most people thought dance hall girls actually danced. [on Errol Flynn ] He spent more time on a bar stool, or in court, or in the headlines, or in bed, than anyone I knew. [on the difference between modern westerns and the westerns made during his day] I could never have played scenes like where The Sundance Kid kicks the guy in the nuts [in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)] or anything like Clint Eastwood does. [about his "image" as a cowboy star] I couldn't shoot a man in the back. I couldn't take a drink at a bar. They would have run me out of town. [in 1942] I think the he-men in the movies belong in the Army, Marine, Navy or Air Corps.

All of these he-men in the movies realize that right now is the time to get into the service. Every movie cowboy ought to devote time to the Army winning, or to helping win, until the war is over--the same as any other American citizen. The Army needs all the young men it can get, and if I can set a good example for the young men I'll be mighty proud. My movies were always clean. Parents didn't need a babysitter. For 50 cents they could send their kids down to see my pictures and know they would be entertained wholesomely. I happened to come along in an era when movies were changing. That was about 1934. There was a break between the great silent screen stars-- Buck Jones , Tom Mix and Hoot Gibson --and the new crop that was to come along. I was the first of the singing cowboys. If I'd come into pictures five years earlier or five years later, I might not have succeeded. As I look over my life, I'd say the most important thing is to be at the right place at the right time. [in 1988] To tell you the truth, I even think there's room for a singin' cowboy today.

[on Gail Davis ] There are lots of girls who can ride and shoot and lots who can act, but the girl who could do both just couldn't be found. Then this kid came along and I didn't have any more problems. A whole generation of children grew up with Gail Davis playing Annie Oakley on television. Before that she co-starred with me in several of my movies. She also toured with me on a number of occasions. Gail was an extremely talented individual. She had a kind, generous heart and brought so much joy to so many children. She never stopped doing that right up to the day she passed away. Salary (9) Champion - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS Famous Directors: From Sundance to Prominence From Christopher Nolan to Quentin Tarantino and every Coen brother in between, many of today's most popular directors got their start at the Sundance Film Festival . Here's a list of some of the biggest names to go from Sundance to Hollywood prominence.

a list of 283 people created 02 Jan 2016 a list of 98 people created 4 months ago a list of 16 images created 3 months ago Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How Much Have You Seen? How much of Champion's work have you seen? User Polls The Gene Autry Show Gene's Horse / Champ - Gene's Horse / Champion - Gene's Horse (1950-1955) The Adventures of Champion Champion, the Wonder Horse / Champ (1955-1956) The Old Corral Champ - Gene's Horse (1936) Himself - On South of the Border Set Hide Himself - Gene Autry's Horse (uncredited) Related Videos Personal Details Alternate Names: Champion - World's Wonder Horse | Champion World's Wonder Horse | Champion the Wonder Horse | World's Wonder Horse | Champion - Wonder Horse of the West Did You Know? Trivia: Autry used three horses to portray his horse "Champion". The first died in 1947. The third one, who appeared in Autry's television series, died in 1991 at age 42.

There was also a fourth horse used for personal appearances, known as "Little Champion". See more » Message Boards Silver Saddle Silver Parade Saddles are True Pieces of Americana! Edward H. Bohlin parade ensemble Photo used with permission from CarneyCustomCreations.com owned by Mary Vineyard of the Long beach Mounted Police Many Ed Bohlin saddles were made for famous Hollywood cowboy heroes. If you are familiar with the name you will certainly know the style. Just think of most cowboy heroes from the golden age of Western movies such as Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and The Lone Ranger. The silver saddles and tack worn by such famous horses as "silver", "Trigger", and "Buttermilk" were typical examples of the Bohlin design and craftsmanship. Another example of Bohlin tack would be the beautiful silver parade saddles and full gear displayed throughout the years in the Tournament of Roses Parade. Tom Mix / Tony Roy Rogers / Trigger Gene Autry / Champion The Lone Ranger / Silver Edward H.Bohlin was born in Sweden in 1895 and came to America before WW1. He was a working cowboy in Montana and Wyoming. One of the ranches he worked on was owned by the famous Buffalo Bill Cody.

While between jobs, he opened his first leather shop in Cody, WY. He later opened a leather shop in Hollywood, CA. Around 1923 he expanded his business to include saddles, spurs, and fast draw holsters. Tom Mix and Gene Autry were among his friends and customers. He was a real artist and crafstman. Bohlin died in 1980. Edward H. Bohlin Co. is still in business today, but does not build saddles as such. They now specialize in belt buckles and watches. Edward H. Bohlin was known as the "Saddlemaker to the Stars." Keyston Brothers, James and William were in business many years in San Fransisco, CA before they began making saddles in 1906. Shortly after the earthquake and fire of that year, the Keyston Brothers began buying out their competitors. The Keyston Brothers became the largest manufacturers of saddles and harness on the Pacific Coast. In 1959 they bought the Lichtenberger Co. of Los Angeles, CA. They still are in business today in Sparks, NV, but do not build saddles.

Materials used among the high end silver saddle makers such as Bohlin, Keyston, Ellis and Hollywood Saddlery were Sterling Silver, 14k & 18k Gold in all four colors along with precious stones such as Rubies. Bruce Lovinshad his shop in Alexandria, Kentucky during the 1930's through the 1950's. Although Lovins made several sterling silver saddles, the majority were made using German Silver, Monel, Nickel, and Aluminum metals, very much resembling Bohlin's style. Bruce Lovins died of cancer in 1962. Ted Flowers began making saddles during the 1940's in his shop in Anderson, Indiana. He then moved his shop to Alexandria, Indiana. It is during the 1950's through 1960's that Ted Flowers produced most of his saddles. Ted Flowers was a very prolific parade saddle maker during his time. The Ted Flowers saddles were very popular for use in parade horse classes at shows such as Saddlebred, Morgan, & Palomino. it is believed he stopped producing saddles altogether in the mid-seventies.

Ted Flowers, although , did make a very few saddles with Sterling Silver and Gold Plating, was known for using mostly German Silver, monel, Nickel, and Aluminum on his parade saddles. Ted Flowers also used brass and gold plating for decorative accents on his conchos. Some of his lower end saddles and accessories had stainless steel conchos. MORE INFORMATION ON TED FLOWERS AND KEYSTON BROTHERS The German Silver and Monel does not require near as much labor to keep polished as does Sterling Silver, and has always been much more affordable than the Sterling Silver saddles. These saddles weigh approximately 75 pounds including the serapes, breast collar, headstall etc. While the Bohlin and Keystone and others sterling silver parade saddle outfits often weigh in excess of 125 lbs. to 150 lbs Tapaderos Breastplate For all those that were and are fortunate enough to acquire these True pieces of Americana will Forever cherish them with Pride. JOIN THE "MOTHERS" CLUB "Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish" works great to shine up the silver on your posse saddles. Available at any auto supply store.

Oklahoma Music Trail: Gene Autry | TravelOK.com - Oklahoma's Official Travel & Tourism Site Gene Autry Website Born: 9 / 29 / 1907 Died: 10 / 2 / 1998 Considered one of the most popular Western film actors and singing cowboys on the silver screen, Gene Autry was born to Delbert and Elnora Ozmont Autry on September 29, 1907 near Tioga, Texas. After his mother tragically died when Gene was only four years old, the family moved to Achille, Oklahoma before homesteading near Ravia, located just west of present-day Tishomingo . There, the young Gene Autry began singing in church and later learned to play the guitar after buying one from Sears and Roebuck for eight dollars. As a teenager, Gene worked at the local St. Louis & San Francisco Railway depot as a baggage handler, where he began lessons in telegraphy. After learning the trade, he began filling in for telegraphers along the railway line.

According to legend, humorist Will Rogers, looking to dispatch his daily syndicated column, walked into the telegrapher’s office in Chelsea, Oklahoma in 1926 and found Gene inside singing and playing his guitar. Impressed, Rogers told Autry that he had enough talent to get a job on the radio and encouraged the young performer to go after his dreams. Soon after that fateful meeting, Gene quit his job and moved to New York in 1927 to “make a record.” Gene Autry eventually landed in Tulsa , where he secured a gig as “Oklahoma’s Yodeling Cowboy” on KVOO in Tulsa, a job that helped him earn a huge following, as well as a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1929. Autry’s first breakout hit, “That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine,” in 1932, helped him land a spot on the National Barn Dance, a popular, nationwide radio show recorded in Chicago. After marrying his wife, Ina Mae Spivey from Duncan , Oklahoma, the Autrys moved west in hopes of conquering Hollywood. In 1935, Gene made his major film debut in The Phantom Empire, a Republic Pictures production.

That same year, Gene created the musical Western genre when he starred in Tumbling Tumbleweeds, a movie plotted around his ability to sing. Autry’s other films during that period included The Singing Cowboy (1937), Rhythm of the Saddle (1938) and Sioux City Sue (1942). Autry would go on to become the most famous singing cowboys of the era, starring in 93 movies, most of them musical Westerns. Soon after the country star moved to Berwyn, the berg officially petitioned to have its name changed to none other than – Gene Autry. Some of Gene’s best-known movies also are based on his hit musical records including South of the Border (1939), Mexicali Rose (1939), Back in the Saddle (1941), The Last Round-Up (1947) and Strawberry Roan (1948). In 1940, during Autry’s heyday on screen, theater exhibitors of America voted Gene Autry the fourth biggest box office attraction behind Mickey Rooney, Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy.

During this period, in 1938, Gene Autry began the Flying A Rodeo, a traveling Western show and rodeo that toured nationwide. In 1941, Autry purchased the Flying A Ranch for his rodeo stock of horses, bulls and calves near Berwyn, Oklahoma, a small town located on the southern slopes of the Arbuckle Mountains. Soon after the country star moved to Berwyn, the berg officially petitioned to have its name changed to none other than – Gene Autry. The eligible voters of the community overwhelmingly approved the idea and the name change occurred on Sunday, November 16, 1941, with Gene in attendance at the naming festivities. The small town of 200 residents welcomed 35,000 visitors on that day, causing the planned parade to be canceled due to the mass of people crowding the streets. To cap off the celebration, Autry broadcast his popular Melody Ranch Radio Show from the town named in his honor. Today, Gene Autry fans can still visit the town to to see personal and professional artifacts at the Gene Autry Museum .

Gene sincerely hoped that Berwyn, now known as Gene Autry, would become the cowboy movie capital of America, seeing as it had the perfect backdrop of trees, mountains and creeks for Western movies. This did not come to pass, however, when only 21 days later Pearl Harbor was bombed, WWII began and Gene Autry enlisted in the United States military. After an honorable discharge from the Army Air Corps, Autry landed a weekly television show in Hollywood, becoming one of the first major film stars to enter the emerging medium of television with the debut of The Gene Autry Show on CBS in 1950. He produced 91 half-hour episodes of The Gene Autry Show and went on to produce such popular television series as Annie Oakley, The Range Rider, Buffalo Bill Jr., The Adventures of Champion and the first 39 episodes of Death Valley Days. “I would like to be remembered as a friend to all the people and to my fans,” Autry once said.

Gene Autry, through a multi-faceted career spanning more than 50 years in entertainment, won two Grammy Hall of Fame awards and five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (one each for radio, music, film, television and live theatrical performances), as well as induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In total, Autry completed 93 movies, starred in 91 television productions and wrote hundreds of songs including well-known hits “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “You Are My Sunshine,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “Back in the Saddle Again.” Autry is the first artist in history to have a gold record, the first artist ever to sell one million copies of a record with his single “That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine,” and the first artist ever to sell out New York’s Madison Square Garden. Gene’s beloved “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is the second highest selling Christmas song of all time, having sold more than 30 million copies. “I would like to be remembered as a friend to all the people and to my fans,” Autry once said.

“I have fans that stayed with me all these 50 years or more, and believe me without fans you have a tough road to hoe. And I just want them to always remember Gene Autry as a nice man and a man that did his best, whatever he was doing. Whether it was making records on the stage or making movies.” Question 1

Question: What was the name of Gene Autry's famous horse?
Answer: Champion